Automobile manufacturer BMW Group has once again turned to GE’s (NYSE:
GE) Gas Engines distributed power technology by installing four
Jenbacher
J616 cogeneration modules at BMW’s
Regensburg
factory in...

Automobile manufacturer BMW Group has once again turned to GE’s (NYSE: GE) Gas Engines distributed power technology by installing four Jenbacher J616 cogeneration modules at BMW’s Regensburg factory in Bavaria, Germany. The cogeneration plant is generating 10.7 megawatts (MW) of reliable on-site power and meeting about 30 percent of the factory’s energy needs.

In addition to generating electricity, the cogeneration plant is capturing and utilizing 9.6 MW of engine waste heat to support the factory’s production processes. For example, the plant will combine the engine waste heat with existing boilers to provide heating during the winter.

The facility will have an electrical efficiency of up to 44.9 percent and a thermal efficiency of up to 40.4 percent, with a combined efficiency of up to 85.3 percent.

GE’s ecomagination-qualified Jenbacher gas engines are ideally suited to meet BMW’s stringent requirements for reliability, durability and efficiency. For example, in the event of a blackout or service disruption to the national grid, the natural gas-fueled CHP plant can continue to operate the Regensburg factory’s emergency lights.

Since the early 1980s, Jenbacher gas engines have been providing reliable on-site power and heat in several of the auto company’s production facilities.

In addition to supplying the Jenbacher CHP units, GE is installing piping, cabling and a ventilation system and dismantling the factory’s old power plant. GE also will provide services for the CHP plant under a comprehensive agreement.

“We are proud to once again use our gas engines to support a company like BMW, which has a reputation for high-quality production,” said Karl Wetzlaymer, general manager of gas engines for power generation—GE Power & Water. “The Regensburg project clearly demonstrates the ability of our engines to ensure dependable and efficient local energy supplies that enable our industrial and trade customers to meet their production goals while also keeping their costs under control.